Charles Frederick Allison

Charles Frederick Allison (January 25, 1795 – November 20, 1858) was a Canadian merchant, philanthropist, and the founder of Mount Allison University.[3]

Charles Frederick Allison
Charles Frederick Allison by William Gush
Born(1795-01-25)January 25, 1795[1]
Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, Canada[1]
DiedNovember 20, 1858(1858-11-20) (aged 63)[1]
Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada[1]
OccupationMerchant
Philanthropist
Spouse(s)Milcah Trueman (1840-1858)[1]
Wesleyan Academy, Mount-Allison, Sackville, New-Brunswick, North America (1852)[2]

Background

Allison's grandfather Joseph had emigrated from Ireland to Canada in the late 18th century because of the after effects of a dinner with the local government tax collector. Wanting to impress the man, the family had set the table with their one valuable possession; silver spoons. After entertaining their guest, the Allisons were informed by the tax collector that if they could afford silver spoons, then they could certainly afford to pay more taxes. The Allisons left Ireland shortly thereafter. The offending spoons are now on display in the main university library.[4]

Early life

Allison was born in Nova Scotia but arrived in Sackville, New Brunswick in 1816 at the age of 21.

Mount Allison University
Main article: Mount Allison University

In June 1839, Allison was encouraged by Wesleyan Methodist Minister Reverend John Bass Strong that a school of elementary and higher learning be built. He offered to purchase a site in Sackville, to erect a suitable building for an academy, and to contribute operating funds of 100 pounds a year for 10 years. This offer was accepted and the Wesleyan Academy for boys subsequently opened in 1843.[5]

gollark: It's not, really. Central planning is just *not* tractable.
gollark: Oh, you mean *I'm* "spy"? Right.
gollark: Still, stuff *mostly* works currently.
gollark: Status quo problematic, some thing or other probably better, ☭ bad.
gollark: That's the case with Scottish university, apparently.

References
  1. Charles Allison biography biographi.ca
  2. "Wesleyan Academy, Mount-Allison, Sackville, New-Brunswick, North America" (PDF). The Wesleyan Juvenile Offering: A Miscellany of Missionary Information for Young Persons. Wesleyan Missionary Society. IX: 120. October 1852. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  3. History and Facts Mount Allison University
  4. Mount Allison University | Charles F. Allison Monologue
  5. John G. Reid, “ALLISON, CHARLES FREDERICK,” in EN:UNDEF:public_citation_publication, vol. 8, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed January 27, 2015, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/allison_charles_frederick_8E.html.The Project Gutenberg EBook #6466 of 'The Intellectual Development of the Canadian People, A historical review' by John George Bourinot, House of Commons, Ottawa, February 17th, 1881
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.